Click here to download TV listings for the week of March 13 - 19 in PDF format

TV listings for the week of March 13 - 19 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv)

Weekly TV Listings and more can be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv

This week's TV Movies

JUMP THE SNARK: The new stand-up special “Kathy Griffin: 50 & Not Pregnant” finds the tart-tongued comic onstage in Milwaukee, at 9 and 11 p.m. Bravo.

SERIES

Ultimate Factories: The new episode “Coca-Cola” offers an eye-popping view of the machines that fill almost 800 bottles and 1,700 cans per minute with the popular soft drink (7 and 10 p.m. National Geographic).

Destination Truth: The series that attempts to separate sci-fi from sci-fact journeys to Ireland in search of the legendary banshee in an expanded episode (7 p.m. Syfy).

American Idol: The Black Eyed Peas and reigning champ Lee DeWyze perform on the results show (8 p.m. Fox).

Nikita: Nikita (Maggie Q) reluctantly assumes a past alter ego to stop a dangerous new weapon from coming into the U.S. in this new episode of the action drama (9 p.m. KTLA).

30 Rock: In this new episode, Liz (Tina Fey) wants Angie (Sherri Shepherd) to convince Tracy (Tracy Morgan) to move back home (10 p.m. NBC).

Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force: As a new season opens, tough cases await the New York/New Jersey unit of the U.S. Marshals Task Force (10 p.m. A&E).

Blonde vs. Bear: This new series follows Ann Bryant and her team of volunteers as they try to defuse potentially deadly situations of the ursine variety (10 p.m. Animal Planet).

The Early Show (N) 7 a.m. KCBS

Today Spring shopping; school reform advocate Michelle Rhee; Amy Ryan. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC

KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA

Good Morning America Trey Parker and Matt Stone; royal wedding designers. (N) 7 a.m. KABC

Good Day L.A. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV

Live With Regis and Kelly Daniel Radcliffe; Bridget Moynahan. (N) 9 a.m. KABC

The View Steve Martin; celebrating St. Patrick's Day. (N) 10 a.m. KABC

The Oprah Winfrey Show First Lady Michelle Obama, Tom Brokaw and Bob Woodward shine a light on some of the bravest families in the U.S.. 3 p.m. KABC

The Ellen DeGeneres Show Halle Berry; Josh Groban performs. 4 p.m. KNBC

Piers Morgan Tonight (N) 6 and 9 p.m. CNN

Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Amelia Earhart, Ted Williams?

The first four are icons who made their mark on the world. The last is a homeless guy with a nice voice.

But now Williams is on par with those four, as well as hundreds of other historical figures, at least in the eyes of Bio, the spinoff channel of A&E that is now home to the "Biography" franchise. A spokesman for Bio (which used to be called Biography Channel but was shortened for some reason that probably had to do with marketing) confirmed that the network is producing an hour devoted to Williams.

To be sure, the bar for getting a biography has plummeted over the last few years. Traci Lords, Dana Plato, "Extreme Makeover" host Ty Pennington are just a few of the hundreds of people to be featured in the series.

We're not quite sure what qualifies Williams for this latest "achievement."  Yes, he became a media sensation, but not for doing anything other than standing on a corner asking for a change. If that's all it takes, I can find a dozen more worthy people on my lunch break.

-- Joe Flint

Related:

Ted Williams won the media lottery and he didn't even have to buy a ticket.

Photo: Ted Williams. Credit: Richard Drew / Associated Press

If you've spent any time with "Damages," a legal thriller so complicated it defies a thumbnail description, you might've wished you had someone feeding you background so you could sort out its frequent flashbacks, double crosses, and ripped-from-the-headlines plots.

And if you haven't seen it yet but might want to jump into its tangled web, you could surely use a primer on its antihero Patty Hewes and her morally suspect minions.

Done and done!

DirecTV has started airing episodes of "Damages" with info bites that appear at the bottom of the screen to give viewers a primer of sorts on the layered drama. The enhanced episodes, on the satellite service's 101 Network, mean to bring the audience up to speed and nurture it along as the twisty storylines of the Emmy-winning series unfold.

ABC pioneered the on-screen tactic -- which works like a cross between "Pop-Up Video" and CliffsNotes -- with "Lost," and now other networks are putting it to use for sophisticated dramas that can be tough to follow.

This may be just the beginning of the trend. Networks, cable channels and premium services are experimenting with on- and off-screen tactics intended to grab viewers and keep them coming back. Given the fierce competition for eyeballs and the sky-high cost of TV production, expect to see everything from tickers on the bottom third of the screen to live question-and-answer sessions via Twitter.

Read more about networks' efforts to pull entertainment fans away from their iPads and back to the TV screen.

-- T.L. Stanley

Antonio "L.A." Reid is rumored to be one of the new faces of Simon Cowell’s singing competition series “The X Factor.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Reid is said to be near a deal to be one of four judges on the series. And he certainly has the background for it. As a record executive and music producer, his talent roster includes big names such as Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Pink, Kanye West ... you get the picture.

Calls and e-mails to Fox were not immediately returned.

Auditions for the competition start March 27 in Los Angeles. The winner will receive a Sony Music recording contract worth $5 million.

[Updated, 5:53 p.m.: A Fox spokesperson said the network is "not commenting on the rumors/speculation."]

Show Trackers, what do you think of the decision? Do you prefer celebrity singers such as "American Idol's" Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as judges? Do you plan to tune in?

--Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: L.A. Reid. Credit: Getty Images

Now that "Big Love" is coming to a close, Chloe Sevigny is on the prowl for a juicy role. This week, HBO confirmed reports in the trades that Sevigny was developing a miniseries about Lizzie Borden, the 19th century woman who became a part of American folklore after being accused (and acquitted) of murdering her father and stepmother with a hatchet.

Sevigny is in the early stages of developing the project with Playtone, the Tom Hanks-and-Gary Goetzman production company that produced "Big Love."

When we spoke to her back in December for this profile, she confessed that pitching the project was "the most terrifying thing, 10 million times worse than auditioning. Normally the writer does most of that, but I brought visuals and books. I was totally geeky, and I was like, I don't know how this works but look at this! I just wanted to show enthusiasm."

Sevigny admits that almost all of her roles have been the result of "an incoming call" -- which suggests that taking the lead on a TV project was a brave new experience. 

"Yes, fun and scary. Making lists of production designers and costume designers and directors, and things like that. I thought about directing a couple of shorts I had ideas for ... I had always wanted to because it's so hard to find good parts. I was just kind of waiting for something to happen, some kind of spark of inspiration, so when I found that, I was gung-ho."

Although her "Big Love" character, Nicki, is intensely manipulative, Sevigny herself seems much more laid back. Is she bossy enough to run a show?

"Oh my God, I'm bossy! You should see me on the set. Once I had a director tell me, 'You know what I find works for me, Chloe? When I focus on my own job.' I said, 'You're leaving in a week, this is my show.' I'm a control freak. I'd be very good as a director."

RELATED:

Chloe Sevigny and "Big Love" creators talk about the end of the season

-- Joy Press
Twitter.com/joypress

In these days of political incorrectness, it's becoming harder and harder to rate the offensive remarks being made about the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Or in the case of shock jock Rush Limbaugh, maybe it's just tough to decipher what the heck he's mocking now. Is it the Japanese refugees themselves? Or is it ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer and her on-the-ground interviews with survivors? Does Limbaugh really think it's funny that an environmentally advanced country such as Japan has been hit with a natural disaster of epic proportions?

"What is Gaia [Mother Nature] trying to tell us here?" he said on his show Tuesday. "What is the mother of environmentalism trying to say with this hit?"

No, Rush, what you are trying to say?

If you figure it out, Show Tracker readers, would you let us know?

RELATED:

Gilbert Gottfried, Glenn Beck and 50 Cent take heat for Japan comments

CNBC reporter Larry Kudlow apologizes for insensitive remarks

-- T.L. Stanley

The Situation may be the $5-million man -- if you believe estimates of his earnings last year -- but his turn at the podium at the "Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump" wasn't worth a dime, according to the jeering in-studio audience and reviews of the special.

Anyone watching knew the "Jersey Shore" reality star was in trouble at the time -- if comedian Jeffrey Ross feels compelled to intervene with a flash of his flabby midsection, you know it's bad. If that wasn't clue enough, there were lots of crowd reaction shots -- all filled with expressions of disgust, eye-rolling and grimaces. And insults aimed at the self-proclaimed guido have been flying like grenades ever since the Tuesday night roast aired.

We've assembled some of the best disses here, so you can skip over The Situation bombing (or watch a slice, if you must, above) and go right to the counter-attacks.

Note: there seems to be a brouhaha brewing about some quips from The Situation (aka Michael Sorrentino) that didn't make it into the roast's final broadcast. Gossip site TMZ has published the racially insensitive, ageist and sexist remarks -- at least one of which was detailed in an earlier Show Tracker post -- and some critics think the seaside housemate should have to answer for his inappropriate sound bites.

Lisa Lampanelli: The roast veteran said in a TMZ video interview that The Situation assessed his own performance as "pretty good" moments after he left the stage. "I should go through life that delusional," she said. "I really wish I loved myself that much."

Snoop Dogg: Here's someone who knows how to deliver a joke that, in all likelihood, someone else wrote. Good on you, Snoop! "I gotta say a few more things about my girl Snooki over there," he said, aiming at The Situation. "Oh, that ain't Snooki? Oh, my bad. I'm sorry. All white people who act black look alike to me."

The Huffington Post harped on his lack of perspective: "He seems to be laboring under the notion that whatever he wants to do, he can. And why not? Being a guy with no real ambition beyond some kind of bizarre tanning, working out and laundry ethos has paid off handsomely so far."

And an L.A. Times Show Tracker commenter, after reading early reports of the performance, said: "That's what you get for having Charlie Sheen write your material."

RELATED:

The Situation nearly booed off the stage at Donald Trump's roast

-- T.L. Stanley

Reaffirming its love of escorts, Showtime is set to premiere "Gigolos," a new eight-part reality series about male gigolos working in Las Vegas, which will make its debut April 7, following "Secret Diary of a Call Girl." Sorry, dude from "Hung," you've got some competition.

During the semiannual Television Critics Assn. press tour in January, Showtime's entertainment president, David Nevins, told journalists that the network wanted "late-night adult shows featuring sex" to be part of Showtime's programming. He said he embraced that sex was "part of what we offer."

"We are a pay cable service," Nevins said, "and I think it's about doing things with some depth and sophistication and taking people places they couldn't go on other networks."

Which doesn't mean he's only serious about the racy stuff: Already, Nevins is developing "Homeland," a "true psychological thriller," starring Clare Danes as a CIA agent, and a "Hard Knocks"-style series about the San Francisco Giants. But with NBC readying "Playboy", we predict that there will soon be a whole lot of tiny sequined undergarments out there on TV.

-- Melissa Maerz

Photo: Blackie Preston, a model from Thom Fitzgerald's book "Beefcake." Credit: John Davie / Strand Releasing

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With ‘The Kennedys’ Out And Gigolos In, It’s Showtime For David Nevins

Jan. 15 2011 - 2:33 am | 550 views | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

By LACEY ROSE

Nevins Looks to Put his Mark on Showtime - Image via Wikipedia

When David Nevins took over as chief of entertainment at Showtime last summer, the premium cable network was hardly in the kind of shambles an executive shake-up typically entails.

Much the opposite, Nevins’ predecessor Bob Greenblatt, who will soon take the helm at NBC, left the HBO competitor as it was growing both its ratings and subscribers. In addition to critical acclaim for series like Weeds, Nurse Jackie and The Big C, profit had grown more than 20% for the year.

To leave be a successful strategy that draws heavily on strong and often morally ambiguous female leads (see Laura Linney, Edie Falco, Toni Collette) could have been Nevins’ strategy. After all, that formula has helped lift Showtime’s base to nearly 19 million subscribers, up some 35% over the last five years, according to research firm SNL Kagan. But relying on momentum doesn’t appear to be Nevins’ style.

“It’s sort of a luxury to come in with [a healthy schedule and] shows that are working,” he tells reporters gathered for the Television Critics Association semiannual press tour Friday. “With that said, I think healthy networks that want to be on the cutting edge need to be in the constant state of renewal and reinvention, and I think that we are sort of continuing with our shows that are working and trying to expand out from there.”

From the look of it, Nevins, whose recent television credits as a producer include Friday Night Lights, 24 and Parenthood, isn’t simply paying lip service to the importance of expansion. Already, he’s made good on his promise to diversify the Showtime slate, readying a “true psychological thriller” starring a CIA agent Clare Danes called Homeland, and a Hard Knocks-esque MLB show devoted to the on-and-off field workings of World Series winner, the San Francisco Giants.

March Madness will no doubt result in some great plays. But a new video shows Legos, the toy building bricks, making a play on the basketball tournament.

"Greatest March Madness--Legoized" is a hilarious, and surprisingly accurate, re-creation of some classic March Madness highlights, complete with commentary from the actual games, crowd noise, slow motion and climactic buzzer shots.

The players are definitely not big shots, but they still show plenty of game.

-- Greg Braxton

Tuesday night's "Glee" brought Kurt and Blaine fans -- by which I guess I mean pretty much every single "Glee" watcher -- the moment they'd been waiting for.

"Kurt, there is a moment when you say to yourself, 'Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever,' " Blaine says, scooting his chair a little closer, putting his hand on Kurt's hand, before continuing. "Watching you do 'Blackbird' this week, that was a moment for me. About you. You move me, Kurt. And this duet would just be an excuse to spend more time with you."

And with that, my patient friends, Blaine and Kurt kissed. Tenderly. Passionately.  More than once.

To paraphrase the song that's stuck in my head, the song that awakened Blaine to his true feelings for Kurt, all this season, we were only waiting for this moment to arise.

The episode also brought us several other long-anticipated moments -- and several more we only wish we'd thought to anticipate. Among them:

Comedian Wanda Sykes talked Las Vegas, Little Orphan Annie and 47th birthdays in a sitdown with Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show." Sykes mentioned that at a recent Las Vegas performance she could tell that the bulk of her audience had come from the cold, snowy East: They all looked like lightbulbs because they had been indoors for far too long. (Oh, how lucky we are to live on the perpetually sunny West Coast!)

She also spoke of the travails of observing a birthday that comes with a certain age. Her wife wanted to whisk her away as a surprise when Sykes turned 47 recently. But at 47, she said, that's not done easily: She needs medication, she needs her neti pot and, of course, more than one pair of underwear.

-- Rick Rojas